THE NEW ZEALAND Government’s response to the escalating crisis in the Middle East has now crossed from hopeless to indefensible. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters have both rushed to condemn Iran for what they describe as 'attacks' in the Gulf—actions Iran took in direct response to an unprovoked strike by the United States and Israel on its territory. Luxon’s statement on X framed the issue as one of economic self-interest: 'Attacks on fuel tankers and energy infrastructure in the Middle East are leading directly to higher fuel prices for Kiwis… That’s why we have joined the United Kingdom and other countries in condemning Iran’s attacks in the Gulf.' He went on to blame Iran for the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, as though the crisis simply materialised out of thin air.
What Luxon and Peters conspicuously avoid acknowledging is the catalyst: the United States and Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran. That is the starting point of this crisis. That is the breach of international law that set the region on fire. Yet the New Zealand Government has offered not a word of criticism toward Washington or Tel Aviv. Nothing has been said about the illegality of their actions. Not a word has been said about the basic principles of the international rules-based order they claim to defend. Instead, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have chosen to condemn only Iran. They have condemned the response, but not the provocation.
This is selective morality dressed up as principle.
New Zealand cannot suddenly decide it wants to uphold international law only when doing so aligns with the interests of the United States. It cannot claim to be a defender of global norms while turning a blind eye to the blatant violations committed by its powerful partners. The Government’s silence on the original attack on Iran—and on the ongoing devastation in Gaza and Lebanon—reveals a foreign policy that is not independent, not principled, and not credible.
The hypocrisy is stark. When it acts in a way that disrupts global shipping, New Zealand leaps to condemn Iran. But when the United States and Israel carry out strikes that violate a country's sovereignty and escalate regional conflict, New Zealand says nothing. And with fuel prices rising, the Government is pointing the finger of blame at Iran. But the Government has had nothing to say about the actions of the United States and Israel who ignited the very crisis driving those price spikes,
This is not the behaviour of a country committed to an even-handed, law-based international system. It is the behaviour of a government unwilling to risk the displeasure of the Trump administration.
New Zealanders deserve better than this timid, deferential posture. Our foreign policy has long been grounded in the idea that small states survive and thrive by championing international law, not by bending to the will of great powers. That tradition is now being eroded. Luxon and Peters have chosen alignment over independence, silence over principle, and political convenience over moral consistency.
The consequences are not abstract. New Zealanders are already feeling the impact of this conflict through rising fuel prices and the threat of supply disruption. Luxon is right about that much. But to blame Iran alone is to mislead the public about the origins of the crisis. The Government is asking New Zealanders to accept a narrative that erases the actions of the United States and Israel, as though the region simply erupted without cause. It is a narrative that treats New Zealanders as politically naïve and strategically blind. But New Zealanders are not stupid, and they know they are being gaslighted.
A truly independent foreign policy would acknowledge the full chain of events. It would condemn violations of international law regardless of who commits them. It would recognise that stability cannot be achieved by ignoring the actions of powerful states while castigating those of weaker ones. And it would refuse to let New Zealand’s voice be shaped by fear of offending the United States.
Luxon and Peters have made a choice—a choice to subordinate New Zealand’s foreign policy to the interests of the United States. In doing so, they have compromised the very independence they claim to value. New Zealand cannot stand for international law only when it is convenient. Principles that bend under pressure are not principles at all.
If this Government wants to speak credibly about peace, stability, and the rules-based order, it must start by applying those rules consistently. Until then, its condemnations ring hollow, its diplomacy lacks integrity, and its foreign policy independence remains little more than a slogan.
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